Friday, June 20, 2014

JUNE 20, 2014 –Winston-Salem/Forsyth
County Schools is celebrating the 50thanniversary
of the consolidation of the city and county school systems. As part of that,
we’re recognizing people who are a product of the school system who now work
for the school system.

Tricia Spencer

Tricia Spencer, who graduated from East Forsyth
High School in 1987, just finished her sixth year as the principal at South
Fork Elementary School.

Spencer’s family is chockablock with East Forsyth
graduates. Her husband, Robert, and older brothers, Robbie and Joe, graduated
from there. So did her husband’s sisters. More recently, Tricia and Robert
Spencer’s two children graduated from East Forsyth – Ryan in 2012 and Megan
just this year.

As it happened, Spencer was in East’s 25th
anniversary graduating class and Ryan was in the school’s 50th
anniversary graduating class.

Spencer started school at Kernersville Elementary.
When Cash Elementary opened, she went there for third grade. She remembers that
the neighborhood where they lived had a bus stop where everyone gathered and
played tag and other games until the bus arrived, and, on school days, she woke
up looking forward to seeing everyone at the bus stop. “It was fun,” she said.

The mothers all knew each other, and, if a mother
saw a kid misbehave, everyone understood that she could correct the child even
if the child wasn’t her own.

Carolyn Flynt

In the sixth grade at Cash, Spencer had a teacher who
meant a lot to her – Carolyn Greenwood Flynt. (These days, Flynt teaches at
Sedge Garden Elementary School.) By then, Spencer’s parents were going through
difficulties that eventually led to divorce, and Flynt did what she could to
encourage and support Spencer.

“She cared about me and helped me have a connection
at school,” Spencer said. “She was the kind of person you just wanted to be
around…She was a lifesaver for me.”

Spencer started junior high at Walkertown Junior
High. A family move put her in the Glenn Junior High district. She went to
Atkins High School for a year, and, when the school system went to four-year
high schools, she was off to East Forsyth.

In junior high, Spencer played softball and
basketball and participated in track. In high school, her sports became swimming
and soccer.

Spencer knew her husband-to-be in high school. He
was two classes ahead of her - in the same class as one of her brothers. They
all ran around in the same group. It turned into something more her senior
year. She was throwing a New Year’s Eve party. He was off at college at the
University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC), and she hadn’t thought to
invite him. That didn’t keep him from showing up. “We had that midnight kiss,”
Spencer said.

They began dating, and today is the 22nd
anniversary of their marriage.

Growing up, Spencer didn’t envision herself as an
educator. She pictured herself playing with dolphins as a marine biologist. She
headed to the University of North Carolina at Wilmington with that in mind.
Once she was there, she realized that she was surrounded by people who imagined
playing with dolphins for a living and that only a few of them were going to be
able to do that.

Another path might be in order, she thought. Along
the way, she had taught swimming and been a camp counselor at Laurel Ridge, the
Moravian church camp. On breaks in college, she would come back to visit Flynt and
end up helping her out in such ways as overseeing the students tie-dying
T-shirts on Field Day.

“I had a love of kids,” Spencer said.

She decided to switch her major to elementary
education and ended up transferring to UNCC. After she graduated from there in
1991, she found a job teaching fourth grade in Salisbury.

Other teachers along the way – including French
teacher Montine Bryant Scales and history teacher Janice Freeman (both now
retired) – had also meant a lot to Spencer, and, when Spencer became a teacher,
she worked to be like the teachers she admired.

“I wanted to make a difference to kids as they made
a difference to me,” Spencer said.

Those good teachers had worked to build strong
relationships with their students based on trust, and Spencer wanted to do the
same. “To me, relationship is key to everything I do,” she said.

After teaching in Salisbury for four years, her
husband’s work as an electrical engineer took them to Huntsville, Ala., for a
time. When they came back this way, she found a job in Guilford County as a
lead teacher. She enjoyed the leadership role and decided to pursue a master’s
degree in school administration at the University of North Carolina at
Greensboro. She earned that degree in 1999. In August, she will complete a
National Institute for School Leadership program that will serve as groundwork work
for a doctorate.

Being an elementary school principal is work that Spencer
enjoys. She likes knowing that every day is going to be different. “You never
know what you are going to get when you walk through the door,” she said.

She likes watching the light bulb go on with the
younger students as they learn such basics as reading. With the fifth-graders,
she likes watching them become ready to make the leap to middle school.

With the teachers, teacher assistants and other
members of the staff, she works hard to make them feel appreciated. “We are
very lucky to have you here and look at the difference you make in kids’
lives,” she tells them.

“I wouldn’t trade my staff,” Spencer said. “We are
a family.”

And, in turn, everyone at South Fork works to make
the 525 students who come through the doors and their families feel as if they,
too, are part of a larger family.

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Tasha Hayes, who graduated from Mount
Tabor High School in 1990, is the Exceptional Children's Case Manager at Carter High School.

”I
graduated from Winston-Salem State University in May 1995 and started my first
job at what was then South Park High School in August 1995,” Hayes said. “This
fall will be my 20th year at the same school. (Even though there have been three
other name changes since South Park and
a location change, I have worked with the same population for going on 20 years.)”

“Special
education was not my first college major,” Hayes said. “It sort of came about
after reading an article in one of those education publications. I'm glad I
switched from elementary education to special education because the population
of students I serve is AWESOME!!!!”

Hayes
started school at Latham Elementary School. She then went to Rural Hall
Elementary and finished at South Fork Elementary. While she was a student at Lowrance
Intermediate School, the school system changed from the 4-2-2-2-2 organization
plan to the current 6-3-3 organization plan.

“I
should have followed my cousins to junior high but, with the format change, I
went to middle school next,” Hayes said.

That
was Paisley Middle School. Then it was on to Mount Tabor.

“I
was shy entering into high school, so I tried sports,” Hayes said.

Tasha Hayes in the ninth grade

She
played basketball for four years. She also played volleyball and was on the
track team for some of those years.

“I
met my life-long friends in high school and, though the miles separate some of
us, we're only a phone call or short drive away,” Hayes said. “Also, it was
during my high school years that the idea of becoming a teacher or social
worker crossed my mind as a way to give back and honor some of the great
teachers and guidance counselors I had along the way from elementary to high
school who helped me make good decisions.

Hayes
enjoys working for the school system. “I like being a part of a group of
people, which I work with on a daily or weekly basis, who care about the
education of all students regardless of their needs and abilities,” she said.

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

JUNE
18, 2014 – Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools
is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the consolidation of the city
and county school systems. As part of that, we’re recognizing people who are a
product of the school system who now work for the school system.

Lafayette Cook

Sylvia
Conrad, who was one of 10
finalists for 2014-15 Classified Employee of the Year, is the great
niece of Lafayette Anderson Cook, the man for whom L.A. Cook Elementary
School is named.

“When the city
and county schools merged, the school was known as Carver Crest Elementary,”
Conrad said. “My uncle became the first
principal of the school (1951) and remained the principal until his death in
1968. Prior to becoming a principal, he
was a teacher and assistant principal at Kimberley Park Elementary School from
1949-1951.

“He was
associated with several professional and social organizations including the
NAACP and at the time of his death, he was the President of the Elementary
Principals’ Association. Although he
only saw the beginning of the integration of the schools, his niece Selena
Nichols (librarian) was transferred from Fairview Elementary (now known as
Ashley) to Northwest Middle School as the media coordinator from which she
retired. Selena’s husband, Joseph Nichols, Sr. (sixth-grade teacher)
was transferred from Diggs Elementary to Kimberley Park Elementary where he
remained until his sudden death in 1979. Now 50 years later, his great niece,
Sylvia Conrad (Family Engagement Coordinator Mineral Springs Elementary) and
grandniece, Meisha Conrad (Family and Consumer Science at Parkland High School)
are continuing his legacy of education.

Conrad, who
graduated from Bishop McGuinness High School in 1971, started school at 14th
Street Elementary, which has since been demolished. She went there from the
first through the sixth grades, and to East Winston Junior High School (now
John F. Kennedy High School).

Sylvia Conrad and Meisha Conrad

“Prior to East
Winston Junior High School being built, students remained at 14th
Street Elementary until the eighth grade. From 14th Street, you went to
Atkins from the ninth through 12th grade.

“During
segregation, my vivid memory is receiving discarded books from the white
schools. Some were in good condition but
most were torn, dirty, and had derogatory comments. However, our teachers did their best with the
materials available to them. No matter
the weather, we walked to school, and friends joined the walking groups along
the way.

“Children walking
to school was the norm. My mother, a 1947 graduate of Atkins High, often talks
about walking to school and remembering her teacher, Miss Essie O. Donoho
saying, ‘Take all of your books when you leave so people will see you have been
to school.’ My daughter, a 2007 graduate
of Carver High School, never walked to school.
She rode the bus to Sedge Garden Elementary and was a car rider in
middle and high school.

“I started
working for the school system in 2012 after my retirement from Forsyth County
Department of Social Services as a Child Protective Services supervisor. My
journey into education was inevitable since the majority of my family members
have been educators. A lot of people who have participated in workshops that I
presented or observed me teaching Vacation Bible School at my church say, ‘You
missed your calling. You should have been a teacher.’

“Being a Family
Engagement Coordinator reminds me of my great uncle’s connection to his
students and families. He had the
ability to deal sensitively and tactfully with families of all socio-economic
groups. If a student was having a problem, the principal or teacher would visit
your home in a ‘heart beat.’ My husband
(Mike Conrad) attended Carver Crest when my great uncle was the principal. He
remembers my great uncle running a ‘tip-top school’ and the staff, students and parents respected and trusted him.

"For me, having a great uncle as a principal and parents as educators was
an incentive for me to do and be the best that I could be.”

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

On Tuesday, June 10, second-graders at Kimmel Farm Elementary School
participated in Camp Read a Lot.

"Camp
Read a Lot was designed to give students a camping environment to read for
enjoyment,” said the members of the second grade team at Kimmel Farm. “It was
an amazing morning of read alouds, shared reading, riddle solving and just
having fun reading. Thanks to all of the volunteers who made this a
successful event.”

Three students at Lewisville Elementary won bicycles for reading
books.

Lewisville Elementary School teamed up with the Lewisville
Masonic Lodge to give away the three bicycles through a program called “Bikes
for Books.”

“Every student had an opportunity to win one of the bikes by just
reading books,” said Gail DuBose, the school’s data manager. “The event began
April 13. To participate, students needed to read the following: two fiction
books, two nonfiction books, and one poetry book.

Rebecca Connor

“Those who completed the challenge had their names placed in a
drawing. Students had to read grade/age appropriate books. Our media
coordinator, Mrs. Rich and teachers assisted students in selecting appropriate
books.”

On Wednesday, June 11, the “prize patrol” delivered the bikes by
knocking on the classroom doors and calling out the students’ names.

On Thursday, June 12, 13 third-, fourth- and fifth-graders at
Piney Grove Elementary School attended a special summer reading kickoff based
on the book Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s
Library. Students worked together and individually to follow clues, solve
riddles and play the giant game.

“Our game board has been in its planning stage for 2 years,” said
media coordinator Natalie Strange. “In collaboration with O'Tressa Rinkavage
and Randal Anderson, our game board went up this year. Spurred on by the
discovery of the book Escape from Mr.
Lemoncello’s Library, which describes a library adventure filled with
riddles and a real live action game, we created both our summer reading program
– “The Game of Books” - and developed our Lemoncello night.

“Students who wanted to attend had to submit essays describing the
library of the future. The top 13 essayists were invited to attend the event
with their families. According to the essays, libraries of the future will have
holograms, robots, lots of games, petting zoos with unicorns, and imagination
rooms that allow you to step into a book of your choice as an interactive
character.

JUNE
17, 2014 – Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools
is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the consolidation of the city
and county school systems. As part of that, we’re recognizing people who are a
product of the school system who now work for the school system.

Melissa Edwards

Melissa Edwards, who graduated from East Forsyth High School
in 1997, is a District Instructional Technologist.

Edwards went to Griffith Elementary
School through second grade and completed elementary school at Hall-Woodward.
She went to Philo Middle School. When she was a junior at East, she was
seriously injured when another car struck her car as she was leaving school. “I
had just made the varsity volleyball team,” Edward said.

She was unable to go to school for a
number of weeks. When she was able to return for the second semester, the
people in the school system arranged it so that she could spend her mornings at
Parkland High School, which had a block schedule that enabled her to take
classes she had missed, and her afternoons at East so that she could catch up
with her classes.

“I have a lot to be thankful for in
how they worked with us,” Edwards said.

She also worked hard to be ready to
try out for the volleyball team for her senior year. She made it. “That was one
of my goals,” Edward said.

Because of everything she had gone
through and how well she had succeeded, she was one of the students from
throughout the state invited to represent their school districts when Gov. Jim
Hunt was inaugurated.

Edwards joined the school system in
2007 as a teacher at Diggs Elementary School. She also taught at Forest Park
Elementary School before going to work out of Central Office. She likes working
for the school system.

“It’s a neat way to pay back everything that was done
for me,” Edwards said.

Monday, June 16, 2014

JUNE
16, 2014 – Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools
is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the consolidation of the city
and county school systems. As part of that, we’re recognizing people who are a
product of the school system who now work for the school system.

Johnetta
Huntley graduated from Atkins High School in 1969. At Atkins, her last name was
Moore, and, a "Letter Girl," she wore the letter “T” in the letter sweaters spelled out “ATKINS.”

Huntley
started working in education elsewhere and joined the school system in 1977 at
Forest Park Elementary School. Over the years, she worked as a school counselor
at several schools. At John F. Kennedy High School, she was a counselor and the
first Career Technical Education (CTE) Coordinator.

She
retired from Kennedy in May 2013. This year, she has been working with the
school system on temporary assignment to such schools as Carver High School and
Kernersville Middle School.

Here
is what Huntley sent in:

“Call it junior high or middle school, it is still
one of the most wonderful, impossible and inspiring places in the world!

Johnetta Huntley

“Much of my inspiration toward entering the field
of education began as a 7-9 grader at East Winston Junior High School, now
John F. Kennedy High School. I remember with excitement my first day – Sept 3, 1963. As I walked up the long sidewalk
toward the front doors, I met my first jr. high friend. In
perfect timing, she walking from one direction and I another, locked
in step. We have ‘walked together’ since then and are dear friends
today.

“This school, although quite large, didn't seem
overwhelming. It was state of the art, a new design. Changing
classes was fun. Core subjects had their own halls as did
electives. Teachers brought a level of excitement to their
classes. I learned later several were first-year teachers like
my PE teacher, Mrs. Peggy Witherspoon, and Mrs.
Sherard. I further developed my sewing craft from Mrs. Knight,
and writing from ALL of my English teachers. I continued in the dance
program and chorus having been a part of the ‘operettas’ at Skyland (now
Headstart) and Diggs elementary schools.

“The administration at East Winston was Mr.
Samuel Cary, Principal from Diggs, Mr. Henry Jones and Mr. James
Hollingsworth, Assistants. There were many assemblies (preparation for a
cultured audience), talent shows, dance group recitals,
art shows, quarterly band and choir performances and our
favorite weekly Friday night school dances in the gym, costing 25 cents per
person!

“So young then, our parents didn't speak of matters
that would frustrate and overwhelm a child, we didn't know we were in a segregated
school system. No busing, two separate school operations. We had
neighborhood schools.

“We enjoyed a full schedule of football, basketball
and baseball, complete with cheerleaders and concessions. PTA
meetings were heavily attended. Sadly, I had to go with my parents.

“One remembrance I will forever hold near was on that
bleak, cloudy day - so it seemed - when our President, John F. Kennedy, was
killed. I was in Mrs. Josie Simon's 7th grade Social Studies class.
We were released at 1 p.m., walking quietly and tearfully down that long
sidewalk home. After Christmas break, we returned to a newly named
school. A fitting place to honor him.

“As I often think about it, much of the energy
expressed by the faculty at this wonderful place prepared us for the ‘Senior’
experience of high school – graduating from Atkins Senior High.

“I began my 40-year career in education in 1973,
thus coming full circle, completing 30 great years May 1, 2013 at
John F. Kennedy High School.

“I believe I will continue in some way to touch the
heart of a child.”

Friday, June 13, 2014

JUNE
13, 2014 – Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools
is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the consolidation of the city
and county school systems. As part of that, we’re recognizing people who are a
product of the school system who now work for the school system.

Karen Hancock Blackwelder, who graduated from Reynolds High School in
1968, is a physical therapist at Lowrance Middle School.

Here's what she had to say:

Karen Blackwelder

“I
started elementary school at Lowrance Elementary School (1956-1960). Memories
include my walking to school each day. My home was located beside Hanes High
School. (You can imagine my surprise
when I was assigned to Lowrance School as a home base school when I first started working at the school system. I literally returned to the same school and was
assigned an office on the same hallway as my FIRST GRADE class in 1956. (DEJA
VU!)

“I
remember that my mother used to sit outside a classroom window in a lawn chair
in order for me to stay in school during the first grade! She and a few other
mothers were allowed to sit outside the window so that their children could see
them. Slowly, one by one, the mothers all disappeared from their spots outside
the windows. In those days (1956) none of us had attended day care or
preschool.

“For
me, starting FIRST GRADE was my very first time being separated from my mother
and it was quite an adjustment. Mrs. Hayes, my first grade teacher, had a
classroom full of crying children for a few weeks!

“My
family moved and I finished Elementary School at Brunson Elementary School
(1961-1962). Memories include being
assigned to a family who lived close by to the school as my place to go in case
of a nuclear war. Yikes! We actually had
a drill one day that involved walking with others to the home address of where
we would go if we had to evacuate the school because of pending nuclear attack
from Russia. I remember thinking that,
if there were a war, I had no idea how I would ever see my family again. My
home was located off of Coliseum Drive and that seemed so far away!

“I
attended Wiley Junior High School (1963-1965). It was during my days at Wiley
when I first became involved with lots of extracurricular activities. The feeder schools for Wiley were Brunson and
Whitaker. My world quickly expanded as I
met many more students. My strongest memory is the day that Kennedy was shot.
We were in a second-floor classroom with Mr. Webb, a history teacher. Suddenly, the loud speaker came on to a radio
broadcast as we all learned that Kennedy had been shot. I remember Mr. Webb staring out the window
for a long time, turning around with tears streaming out of his eyes, and
reassuring us that we would all be OK. I also remember that many parents started
coming to school early to pick us up.

“I
graduated from RJR Reynolds High School (1966-1968). By this time, my life was
pretty much a blur. I had become
involved in student government, cheerleading, service clubs and getting to know
even more students. The feeder schools
for Reynolds were Dalton Jr. High School, Children's Home, and Wiley. There
were many inspirational teachers at Reynolds during that time – many women and
a few men who had devoted their entire lives to teaching! English and History
were especially intense classes–- there were "rules" for each class –
standing when asked a question to answer (putting all of us on the spot on a
daily basis ­– not doing homework was really not a good option!)

“In
perspective, my teachers all tried their very best from the first grade to high
school to prepare me for what lay ahead. For me – I went to college, others
went to Vietnam, and others became ‘hippies.’

Just
last year, we had a 45th year reunion in September at Brookberry Farms. Of our graduating class of about 500, about
80 of us showed up. About 50 have passed
away and the memorial to them was very impressive.

“I am
very proud to say that I grew up in the Winston-Salem Schools, as did my
family. My father (Marvin Hancock) graduated from Reynolds in 1944, my mother
(Nancy Mecum Hancock) in l945, my sister (Shari Hancock) in l976 and my
daughter (Wendy Kulp Gilbert) in l993.
Needless to say, we have a shelf for all of those yearbooks.

“When
I first started working in the school system in 1986, I was pleasantly reminded
that the schools are just a wonderful place to learn about all aspects of life.
There is something almost magical about the anticipated ‘opening of school’
each year as well as the ‘ending of the school year. The energy surrounding the
students, teachers, and parents always fills me with hope and excitement!

I did
not stay working in the schools for all of those years, but returned to work at
Forsyth Hospital in the 90's. Ten years ago I returned to working in the school
system. I especially like getting to know the students, their families, and
seeing their growth and maturation through their years. In my role as a school
physical therapist, I often can follow and keep up with students whom I have
known for their entire school years. It
is a blessing to me to have this opportunity and very inspirational!”

Thursday, June 12, 2014

On her blog, Tara Staley wrote a
thank-you note to the people at Cash Elementary School. With her permission, we
are posting it here:

The Staley family

“William’s
5th grade graduation from Cash Elementary is this coming Friday morning, and it
will be especially sentimental to us because he entered Cash when he was only 3
years old. As a student in the Pre-K program for children with developmental
delays, our son – along with his teachers and parents – had a lot of work to
do. He was diagnosed just months earlier with mild-moderate autism, having an
IQ that was well below average. At 3½ years old, he still could not say or nod
the word ‘Yes.’ He plugged his ears against noises that were sometimes as soft
as others’ voices. He would not socialize or interact with his peers. He had
repetitive behaviors like placing his hands under running water and batting at
the little yellow key that dangled at the back of our house on the electrical
box. By the time he reached 4 years old, William started talking, yet developed
additional challenges like ADHD and OCD, plus a myriad of behavior problems
that included irritability due to his inability to communicate well.

“During
his years in the Pre-K curriculum, William also had itinerant teachers who came
to our house to work privately with him on his educational goals. In the
meantime, I pursued ABA therapy, medical intervention, and worked with
William on his goals when he was not in school.

“By
the time he reached first grade, the teachers in the EC classroom realized he
was a very bright little boy and had the confidence to refer him into the
general curriculum. We can’t say that the road has always been smooth and easy
since William was mainstreamed at seven years old, but those years saw the
greatest gain in his intellectual and social development. Thanks to a Behavior
Improvement Plan, speech therapy and private occupational therapy sessions,
William began interacting with his peers and making good grades. He made his
first friends in third grade, in Mrs. Lee’s class.

“Then…the
little boy who couldn’t say ‘Yes’ at three years old made a 99 on his first
math EOG.

“Further
psychological evaluations in 2010 showed that William’s IQ had risen by two
full standard deviations, finally placing him in the ‘normal’ cognitive range.
Cognitive tests in early 2014 showed that his IQ has risen an additional 10
points, with him scoring as high as 123 in non-verbal reasoning, and 118 in
writing and 116 in spelling.

“By
his fourth grade year in Mrs. Smith’s class, William made Honor Roll 3 out of 4
quarters. This year, in fifth grade, he won the school’s Science Fair and
competed at the district level in January.

“We
cannot say enough to thank the teachers at Cash who have helped William
overcome the most challenging parts of his disability, who have brought out the
best in him. We also want to say a special thank you to Ms. Kasey Northrop,
principal, whose inclusion-minded policies for students like William have given
him the opportunity to ‘graduate not only from Cash this year, but from the
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school system in years to come with a regular
diploma that will help him pursue his dreams in science.

“To
all his teachers and therapists, THANK YOU very much for putting so much of
your time, energy and resources into our son. We as his parents — and his
future teachers — still have much work to do, but hehas
come so far because you believed in him. Thanks for givingus hope
andhim a
future.”

JUNE 12, 2014 –Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools is celebrating the 50th anniversary
of the consolidation of the city and county school systems. As part of that,
we’re recognizing people who are a product of the school system who now work
for the school system.

Michelle Lewis

Michelle Lewis, who is a Pre-K teacher at Cash
Elementary School, graduated from East Forsyth High School in 1992. She was also a
student at Cash and did her student teaching there.

Lewis started school Cash in 1979 and went on to
Ashley Middle School.

“I am proud to say that I am a product
of WS/FCS!”

As part of her student teaching when Lewis was at the
University of North Carolina at Greensboro, she worked with a student who was
deaf. After she graduated from UNCG, she was hired by the school system to
teach deaf students.

“I traveled all over the county as an itinerant
hearing-impaired teacher for four years. Then a resource class opened up at
Cash Elementary and I taught deaf students there for four years. I earned my
National Board Certification and was Cash's Teacher of the Year in 2004,
and one of the 10 finalists for Teacher of the Year in the county.

“When I was expecting my son, I was able to stay home
with him for five years, worked on my master’s degree in Elementary Education. I
began long term subbing...you guessed it, at Cash.”

When a special-needs pre-kindergarten class position
opened up at Cash, she took it. She recently completed renewing her National
Board Certification and received her Birth to Kindergarten add-on certification.

“I have a love for teaching all students, particularly
those with special needs, and I understand the importance of life-long
learning. I want to ignite that curiosity for learning in all of my students!

“My son is a student at Cash, as well, continuing the
tradition of receiving a quality education in Forsyth County Schools!”

Cynthia Lain

Cynthia Lain
graduated from Gray High School in 1965, the last year it was open. After that,
the building was turned over to what is now the University of North Carolina School
of the Arts.

One day in 1970, she bumped into
Nelson Jessup, who had been her Algebra II teacher in high school. Jessup had
become a purchasing agent for the school system and wondered whether she might
be interested in coming to work for the school system. Lain began taking care
of purchase orders in the school system’s Central Office on Granville Drive.

She
held several other jobs over the years. When she retired in 2003, she was
working in student records. She stayed retired for six months, returned to
student records part-time in 2004 and has been here ever since.

Lain started school at Central
Elementary School. “I was raised Moravian. Central Elementary was in Old Salem
and that was so special to me,” Lain said.

She went on to what was then Konnoak
Junior High School. Later, it became Philo Junior High. “I just loved school,”
Lain said.

Johnny Duckett

Johnny Duckettgraduated
from North Forsyth in 1977. Although Duckett is not an official employee of the
school system, he will be familiar to those who watch the school system’s
television station ­–Cable 2 –
as the host of Cool Readers, the Cable 2 show that gives students a chance to talk
about books they love.

Duckett went to Lowrance when it was an elementary school. He went on
to Northwest, Hanes and North Forsyth.

Are you ready for fresh
organic vegetables! The answer was a
resounding yes, by the North Forsyth Occupational Course of Study (OCS) Department. They have partnered with the North Forsyth
Agriculture Science Department to design a school-community organic raised
garden. The students, along with
volunteers, have planted organic tomatoes, broccoli, okra and snow peas. The project originated with an idea to
provide additional opportunities for the OCS students to earn school base
hours. It would also serve as a way to
connect school with community and give teachers an alternate method of
integrating classroom activities to hands on learning.

On Wednesday, June 4, the OCS
Department along with volunteers from Beck’s Baptist Church, teachers, parents
and friends participated in a Garden Dedication Ceremony. Dr. Karl Ray Minor, Senior
Pastor of Beck’s Baptist Church, officiated and one of the OCS students,
Richard Fenner, shared a song. Words of
affirmation and thanks were given by Dr. Minor as he concluded the ceremony
with the ribbon cutting. Immediately
after the ceremony, a reception was held to greet family and friends of the
garden project.

Going forward, the raised
garden project will yield not only fresh vegetables, but knowledge about food
and nutrition, student/community interaction, an enjoyable project; provide
opportunities for school base hours and service points and a beautiful
garden.

Finally, when the garden is
complete, the students will have grown organic vegetables to sell and
distribute to the community. For more information about the garden and
volunteer opportunities, please contact the Mr. Brian Reynolds, Agriculture
Instructor, North Forsyth High School at bkreynolds@wsfcs.k12.nc.us

About Me

We're here to share good news about people associated with Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, to answer questions and to let you share your thoughts about how to make the schools better. If you have something that you would like for others to know about or want to ask a question, please send an email to Kim Underwood